Railway signaling system.



No. 820,413 PATBNTED MAY 15, 1906. H. W. GRIFFIN.

RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLIGATEON 5 FEB, 28. 190

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Z a- J i I 4 Y 3 a L L r K 6 I No. 820,413. IATENTED MAY 15, 1906. H. W GRIFFIN.

RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLIGATI N FILED I .38. 190

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7 r 3 f V No. 820,413 PATENTEB MAY 15, 1906. H W. GRIFFIN. RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

2 APPLIUAHQK FILED FEB 8 1905 4 SH B S N0. 820,413. 7 PATBNTED MAY 15, 1906. H. W. GRIFFIN. RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLIGATIOH FILED FEE. 2B. 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

UNITED sTATEs P ENT oFFIoE.

HENRY W. GRIFFIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SW'ITOH AND SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY SiGNALiNG SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15. 1906.

Application filed February 28. 1905. Serial No. 247,726.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY W. GRIFFIN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Signaling Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway signaling systems.

I will describe a railway signaling system embodying my invention and a variation or modification of the signaling system also embodying my invention and then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatical view illustrating a portion of a railway, a signal, and applied thereto an arrangement of circuits for controlling the movements of the si nal device and embodying my invention. igs. 2 and 3 are views similar to Fig. 1, but showing different conditions of the circuits due to the presence of a train. 7 Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing a variation or modification of their;- vention shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 5 anl'fi are views similar to Fig. 4, but showing differentconditions of the circuits due to the presence of a train. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatical view of a portion of a railway and applied thereto a signaling system embod ing in invention. Fi 8 is a view similar to dig. 7,, at showing a ,ifierent condition of the systernduete the presence of a train. Fig.9 is a diagramrnak ical view of a portion ofa railway and.

thereto a si alingsystem embodying my invention, ig. Kids a view similar to Fig. 9, but showing adifierent condition of the systern due'iothe presence of attain. FigsLQ audit). illustrate a difierent system oi signalin "from that illustrated in. the other figures.

imilaracharacters or reference designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

By the term system as herein used and contemplated by m invention I mean an ar rangement or com ination ofelectrical circults so arranged'that a change in condition of a circuit firoducesor causes a change in one or more of. er'circnits, and thereby control or effect the operation of apparatus that may be embodied or included in the system.

My invention has especial reference to antomatic block-signaling systems, which, as generally understood, consists of the automatic operation and automatic control of the signaling devices located at successive points along a railway. The automatic control is obtained through the arrangement or combination of circuits forming the system, the arrangement being such that a train acts, primarily, on one or more circuits to .roduce a change in condition thereof, and t us effect other circuits simultaneously or in succession or a paratus included in such circuits.

7 T e signaling devices of the railway-signals embodied in the system usually give a danger indication-that is to say, atrain or car a preaching a railway-si nal will, if the con( itions warrant, act to a cot certain circuits to cause the mechanism of that railway-signal to operate its signal device to have it indicate safety, and the train or car after passing the railway-signal acts again on other circuits to have the signal device display a danger indication to succeeding cars or trains. In other words, my invention relates to what is known in the art as a normal dan- 'ger system of signalin 7 Referring now to 5h drawings, T desig hates a portion of a railwaythe track-rails of which are, by means of insulation t, placed at suitable slats, divided into track-sections. Ihaveilliistrated a1 lurali'ty of such tracksections it B, 7 There may be any number of such track-sections, and they may be of any desired length. 7 For convenience I will hereinafter refer to the sections AB &c., as block-sections, it being understood, however, that there may be any number of tracksections in g block-section. Atthe entrance end of eaehg blooksseetion is located one or more. railway-oi nals, each of which may beef an of thegwelknowli' t .cfraiiway-sig- :Eacli railways' provided with a dries, suchas a semaphore, .dislg; and an automatically-operating mechanism for moving it, glisterably from a positicn or color indicating danger. tea position orcolor indicatin ifssfesyfl aEach signaldeviee is weights or biased insuch manner as to always tend to move to the den or gcsition or disfilay a danger color. Pre era y the semep ore type of signal device is employedand, 8S

stated, any type of automatically-operating mechanism. As examples of what types of railway-signals may be used reference may be had to the following United States Patents, to wit: No. 600,385, granted March 8, 1898, to V. K. Spicer; No. 611,943, granted October 4, 1898, to J. G. Sehreuder, and No. 745,309, granted November 24, 1903, to J. P. Coleman' and illustrates a railwa -signal the signal device of which is in the orm of a semaphore and comprising a spectacle acting as a counterweight and a blade and an automaticallyoperatmg mechanism for moving the signal device from its danger position to its safety position.

Each block-section is provided with a track-circuit which, as is well known, comprises a source of current, the track-rails of the block-section, and a relay. X X X, &c., designate sources of current for the track-circuits of the bloek sections, andlt R B &c., relays for the track-circuits of the block-sections, which may be of any desired type, according to the signaling system employed. Each track-circuit has the usual condition of being closed, and in this condition each relay attracts its armature against what is generally termed its front contact. When, however, a train is in a block-section, the wheels and axles thereof or any air of wheels and their axle act as a path of ow resistance to the current flowing in the trackrails of the track-circuit of that block-section, and thus shunt the current from the track-relay and permit it to drop or have its armature and the sprin s carried thereby moved by a spring. Eac relay may be provided with a plurality of front contacts, (see Figs. 9 and 10,) which are included in different circuits. This is diagrammatically illustrated in these figures by a plurality of armatures each moving between a front and back contact. The construction of these relays is well known. The front and back contacts are su ported in insulation and the springs carrie y the armature and which move between the front and back contacts are supported in insulation, so that a cross between sprin s or contact-points is avoided.

Re erring now to Figs. 1 to 3, which illustrate the principle involved in my invention, I have shown a single railway-signal and the necessary circuits for its control-that is, the necessary circuits which cause it first to be moved from its danger position (its usual or normal position)-to its safety position and again back to its danger position. The signal-circuit, or, as it is sometimes called, the local circuit thereof, is usually or normally closed and comprises two sources of current B B, (shown as being batteries,) which are so arranged in this circuit as to o pose, balance, or neutralize each other, so tfiat no current will flow, or if there should be a flow of ating mechanism of the railway-signal wi be inert. As soon, however, as one of the sources is cut out of the circuit current from the other source will energize an electromagnetic de- Each of these patents describes vice comprised in the mechanism, and thus have the apparatus move the signal device from its danger position to its safety position. (See Fig. 2.) The signal-circuit for the railway-signal (which in this instance is local to the railway-signal) ma r be traced as follows: starting from the po e of battery'B, wires 1 2, front contact and armature ofrelay R, wire 3, pole of battery B, wire 4, armature and front contact of relay R, wire ,5, operating mechanism of the railway-signal, and wires 6, 7, S, and 9 toole of battery B. No current will flow in t is circuit, because the batteries B B oppose each other. As soon, however, as a train Y enters the blocksection A or other block-section preceding the railway-signal it acts to short-circuit the relay R of that section, which being denergized drops its armature onto its back contact, thus cutting out one of the batteries (the battery B, see Fig. 2) and closes another circuit, (which is also local to the railway-signal,) which may be traced as follows: battery B, wire 4, armature and front contact of rela R, wire 5, operating mechanism of the rai wa -signal, wires 6, 7, and 10, back contact an armature of relay R, and wire 3 to batter an if no train is in the block-section B the signal device of the railway-signal will be moved from its danger position to its safety osition. Should, however, a train be in the lock-section B, the signal device will not be moved from its danger osition, as the train in the block-section B W1ll have shortcircuited the battery from the relay R of that section, and thus have it open the local circuit by its armature movin onto its back contact. Assuming that t e signal device was moved from its danger osition to its safety position and the train to have entered the block section B, then the signal device will again move or be moved to its danger position under the influence of its counterweight, due to the opening of the circuit by which the sig nal was cleared, by the relay R dropping its armature onto itsback contact. (See Fig 3.) The relay R drops its armature by reason of the train shunting its battery.

In Figs. 4, 5, and 6 precisely the same conditions exist as in Fi s. 1, 2, and 3. The only difference between t ese two sets of fi ures is that in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the relay R w en deenergized cuts out one battery in the signalcircuit and establishes another si al-circuit, while in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 the relay operates a pole changlng device P, so that both bat- As soon as this circuit is established teries B B may be included in the signai-circuit. The pole-changing device P and its operation by a relay or any other means is so well known in the art as not to require further description. In Fig. 4 the batteries are opposed, the circuit being from+ pole of battery B, wires 1 1, '12, arm p of pole-changer P. wire 13, pole of battery B, armature an front contact of relay R, wires 14, operating mechanism of railway-signal, wires 15, 16, arm of pole-changer, and wires 1'2, 18 to po e of battery B. In Fig. 5 the batteries are in series, the circuit being from pole of battery B, wires 18, 19, arm 10, wire 13, of battery B armature and front contact of relay R, wire 14 operating mechanism of railway-signal, wires 15 16, arm of polechanger, and wire 20 to pole 0 battery B. In Fig. 6 both batteries are cut out of the signal-circuit b reason of the short-circuiting of the relay by a train in its block-section and its droppin its armature, just as in Fig. 3 the single an remaining battery B is cut out of the signal-circuit by the action of the train on the relay R. It will be seen, therefore, that each signal-circuit is usuall or normally closed and includes opposing atteries and that one of the batteries is cut out of the signal-circuit or brought into series with the second battery by the action of a train-on a block-section preceding or in advance of a railway-signai in order that the railway-signal ma move its signal device from its danger position to its safety and be retained in that position and that after the train has proceeded past the signal in its safety position the signal-circuit is oppned by the action of the tram to permit t 0 signal device to again return to its danger position.

It will be understood, of course, that what I have herein termed the"signal-circuit is that circuit which causes the signal, device to be moved from its danger position to its safety position, and it may or maynot be used for holding or retaining the signal device in its safety position. In the event that it is not used for holding or retaining the si nai device inits safety position a sgecial holding-circuit may be used. What intend to be covered by circuit which will cause the signal device to be moved from its danger osition to its safety position by the action of a train on one track-circuit and which is opened or disabled by the action of strain on another track'circuit. This circuit n accordance with my invention is usually closed, but no current is flowing therein, and current is made to low therein by the action of a train on one track-circuit and to be opened by the action of a train on another track-circuit.

Usually in the signaling art when no current is flowin in the signal-circuit the signal device of t 1e railway-signal of that signal-circuit is, in its danger position, and when the term signal-circuit is a current is flowing in the signal-circuit the signal device is caused to be moved and sometimes held in its safety position.

Referrin now to F1gs 7 and 8, each block section d C, &c., is provided with a trackcircuit which, as shown, is closed and with a railwa signal S S Si, &c., at its entrance end. ash railway siglrial is provided with a closed s" rial-circuit, w 'ch may be traced as follows: tarting from ole of batteryB it is wires 21 22 arm p of po e-changer P, wires 23 24, operatlng mechanism of rai way-signal S 8*, &c., as the case may be, wire 25, armature and front contact of track-relay R R, &c., as case may be, pole of battery B, wires 26 27, arm p of pole-changer P, and wires 28 29 t0 batter B are apposed to eac other, so that no current wi e flowing in any signal-circuit and the mechanism of the railway-signal will be inert. As soon as pole-changer P is operated by the action of a train on a precedin blocksection the batteries B B are broug t into series with each other, so that current will flow and the mechanism of the railway-signal included therein energized. Such a circuit as last referred to will e traced in a description of the operation ofthe s stem illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8. The pole-changer P in these figures instead of bemg operated directly by a track-relay are operated by a clearingrela the circuit of which is preferably control ed from a track-relay. C C C, &c., designate such clearing-relays. A circuit for each clearing-relay may be traced as follows, and it may be designated a clearin -cir cuitz starting from pole of battery it may be some other battery,) armature of a track relay R R, &c., as case may be, back contact for such armature, wire 30, clearingrelay C C, &c., as case may be, and wires 31 26 to battery B. This circuit is usually or normall open and is closed by the armature of a trac -rela moving onto its back contact when the tree relay is denergized.

The operation of the system illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 is as follows: Fig. 7 illustrates the. usual or normal conditions of the circuits and apparatus controlled thereby. Assuming now that a train Y has just entered the block-section B, it having reviously affected certain circuits to have tile signal device of the railway-signal S to move to its safety osition from its danger position and to ave short-circuited the relay R. In doing this two operations occur, first, that of 0 ening the signs .-circuit of the railway-signs S, and, second, the closing of the circuit on clearing reiay Q. As soon as the circuit of the clearing-relay C is closed it operates the pole-changer P adjacent it to'bring the battery B into series circuit with the battery B, so that both batteries will supply current for the s' al circuit for railway signal S".

This circuit-that is, the circuit with the bat- The batteries B teries B B'in series may be traced as follows: From the pole of battery B, it is wires 32 33, arm of pole-changer P, wires 27 26, pole of liattery B, armature and front contact of relay R, wire 25 operating mechanism of railway-signal S, wires 24 23, arm 1) of pole-changer, and wires 34 29 to battery B. With current flowing in this circuit the si nal device of railway-signal S will be moved from its danger position to its safety position. As soon as the train enters the block-section C the relay R is shortcircuited and its armature drops onto its back contact, performing two operations first, the openin of the signal-circuit on the railway-si nal 0 its block-section, and, sec ond, the c osing of the circuit for the clearingrelay next in advance, so that if conditions warrant the next succeeding railway-signal may be operated. It is apparent that if any block-section is occupied by a train or any portion of the train the railway-signal for that block-section cannot be operated to move its signal device, owing to the signalcircuit being opened at the relay for that block-section. It will be seen, therefore, that as a train proceeds along the railway it automatically affects circuits in the system, which if conditions warrant act to cause the railway-signal in'advance to move its signal device from its danger position to its safety position.

Referring now to Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings, the signaling system therein illustrated is what is technically termed in the art a home and distant signaling system, a home and distant si al being located at the entrance end of eac block-section. The home signal is arranged above the distant signal, and both are 1rreferably mounted on the same support. ach home signal controls the entrance of trains into its-blocksection, and each distant signalacts as an indicator for the home si nal of the succeeding block section. Eac distant signal is controlled as to its position by its home signal, due to a requirement that a distant signal should never give a safety indication unless its home signal ives a safety indication. At the entrance enii of each block-section I have located a home and a distant si nal S S, being, respectively, the home and istant signal at the entrance end of block-section A; S respectively, the home and distant signal at the entrance end of block-section and so on for the several block-sections comprised in the railway. The signals S S S', 850., may be any des1redthat is they may be semaphore-signals, disk si he s, bannersignals, or any ot er of the wel -known types. Each signal is rovided with a suitable form of automaticay-operating mechanism for movin it from, preferably, a position indicating or isplaying danger to a position indieating or displaying safety. Each signal also is weighted or biased in such manner as to alwa s tend to move to a position indicating'or isplaying danger. Preferably the semaphore type of si nal is emplo ed, and, as stated, any type 0 automatical y-o erating mechanism may be used. Each locksection is provided with a track-circuit, as hereinbefore described, and each home si nal S S S, &c., is provided with a signa circuit precisely like that in Figs. 7 and 8, the same reference characters being used to designate such circuits. The signal-circuit for a distant signal may be any desired, provided it contains a c rcuit-controller operated by the movements of its home si nal. As shown in the drawings, each signa -circuit for a distant signal is independent from all other circuits and may be traced as follows: From one pole of a battery D it is wire 107, circuit-controller 108 operated by the home signal for the distant signal, wire 109, circuit-controller 110, operated by the home signal above the distant signal, operating mechanism of the distant signal, and wire 11] to the other ole of the battery D. These circuits and t eir method of control are well understood in the art and will not be described further. In fact, the system of circuits illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 is precisely like that illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 with the exception of the signal-circuits for the distant signals and that each track-relay R R, &c., controls" not only the clearing-relay of the next block-section in advance, but also the clearing-relay of the second block in advance. For example, the track-relay Roi block-section A controls the circuit of the clearing-relay C and also the circuit of the clearin -relay C, and similarly the trackrelay controls the circuit of the clearingrelay C and the circuit of the clearing-relay C By this arrangement a train on any block-section automatically affects circuits which causes the si al devices of the next two home railway-signals to be moved from their danger [position to their safety position and the signal device of the next distant railway signal to be moved from its danger position to its safety position. For example, a train Y in block-section B causes, if conditions warrant, the signal devices of the railway-signals S S" to move from their danger position to their safety position and the si nal device of railway-signal S to move rom its danger position to its safety position. If desired, each track-relay may e made to control the circuits of more than two clearing-rela s.

In the s stem illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 it is possi le.'to use a wire of one circuit in another circuitin other words, one wire may be common to a number ofcircuits. Therefore to com letely understand the system in Figs. 9 and 10 I will use the same reference characters for the signal-circuits of the home signals as in Figs. 7 and 8, but will use different reference 0 aracters to describe each circuit for a clearing-rela and describe a number of such circuits. he circuits of the clearing-relays controlled by the trackrelay B may be traced as follows: Starting from battery B local to the signal S (or it may be another battery) one clearing-circuit is armature and back contact of relay R thereof, wires 41 42 43, clearing-relay C, wires 44 27 45, common return 46, and wires 47, 27, and 26 to battery. Another clearingcircuit-is starting from same battery-armature and back contact 48 of track-relay R, wires 49 50 51 52, clearing-relay O, wires 53 27 54, common return 46, and wires 47 27 26 to battery. It will be seen, therefore, that when the relay R is short-circuited from its battery b a train in its block-section its, armature alling onto its back contacts closes the circuits on the c earing-rela s C C, and they in turn operate their pole-c an are P to have them bring both batteries in 1; air sigrial-circuits in series with each other and thus cause the signal devices of railway signals 8 and S to be moved from their danger position to their safet position. The movement of these two si a devices to their safety position closes t e signal-cirs suit for the distant railway-signal S to have it move its signal device to its safety position. The circuits of the clearing-relays controlled by the track-relay B may be traced as follows: Starting from batte B local to the signal S" (or it may be anot er battery) one circuit is armature and back contact 55 of relay R, wires 55 51 52, clearing-relay C, wires 53 27 54, common return 46, and wires 45, 27, and 26 to battery B. Another circuit is armature and back contact 56 of rela- R, wires 56 57 58 59, clearing-relay 0 wires 66 27 61, common return 46, and wires 45, 27, and 26 to battery. With the train in the block-section B the armature of relay R will closthe circuits just described and will result in the movement of the signal devices of rail way-signals S and S from their danger position to their safety position. The signal device of railway-signal S4 will also be moved from itscaution position to its safety position. The circuits of the clearing-relays controlled by the track-relay It may be traced as follows: Starting from bat tery B local to the signal S (or it may be another battery) one circuit is armature and back contact 62" of relay R wires 62 58 59, clearing-relay C, wires 27 61, common return 46, and wires 54, 27, and 26 to battery B. Another circuit is armature and bac contact 63, wire 63 64 65 66, clearing-relay 0, wires 67 27 68, common return 46, and wires 54 27 26 to battery B. These circuits when closed act in precisely the same mannor as heroinb'efore described in connection with the signals 8 S, S, S", and S. The circuits of the clearing-relays controlled by the tracln-relay R may be traced as follows: Starting from battery B local to the signal S {or it may be another battery)one circuit is armature and back contact 69, wires 69 '65 66, clearing-relay 0, wires 6? 27 68, common return 46, and wires 61, 27, and 26 to battery. Part of another circuit is armature and back contact 70", wires 70 71 72 to next clearing-relay in advance and back onto com mon return 46, and wires 61 27 26 to battery B. These circuits when closed act in precisely the same manner as hereinbefore described in connection with similar circuits.

What I claim is- 1. A signaling s stem, the signal devices in which are normally in their danger position of indication, comprising a series of closed track-circuits, a series of closed signaloircuits, one for each si nal device, in whic are included opposing atteries so that no current will flow therein, said signal-circuits each including means controlled from one track-circuit to cause current to flow in said signal-circuit, and means controlled from another track-circuit for opening said signalcircuit.

2. A signaling s stem, the signal devices in which are normal y in their danger position of indication, comprising a series of closed trackcircuits, a series of closed si alcircuits, one for each signal device in w 'ch opposing batteries are included and in which no current is flowin means in each of said signal-circuits for a ecting one of said batteries to have current flow, aclearing-circuit and role controlled from one of the trackcircnits or o eratin said means, and means also include in sec signal-circuit operated by the action of a train on a track-circuit for opening its signal-circuit.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this s ecification in the presence of two subscrib witnesses.

HENRY W. GRIFFIN.

Witnesses:

A. HERMAN WEGNER, Jonn G. Honnr. 

